Asking for the Princess
by Kathryn Claire O'Connor
Summary: Caleb has asked Catherine to marry him, now he just needs the approval of one more person... Inspired by Chuck Wick's "Stealing Cinderella". Please R&R!


July, 2000

Caleb Holt wiped his sweaty palms down the side of his navy blue uniform pants, staring at the currently closed door to the office of Fire Chief Eddie Campbell. Aka, the father of Catherine Campbell, the young woman that Caleb wanted to marry. He took a deep breath.

_C'mon, Caleb, just get in there and get it done and over with already! _

One more deep breath, and Caleb squared his shoulders, pushed out his chest, and knocked on the door to the captain's office.

"Come in!"

Captain Campbell sounded distracted though, and when Caleb opened the office door, he saw why. The captain was currently on the phone with his wife, Joy. Captain Campbell glanced at Caleb and held up a finger, indicating that the younger man should wait. Caleb nodded and looked towards the pictures on the captain's desk. Each and every one of what must have been at least a dozen pictures were of Catherine.

Caleb swallowed hard and with difficulty. He leaned over one picture in particular, wanting to get a better look at what portrayed what he figured was Catherine's fifth or sixth birthday party. She was dressed as Cinderella.

"She's something, isn't she, rookie?"

The captain's voice startled Caleb and his head snapped up to look at the older man. He nodded.

"Yes, sir. Catherine is quite a woman."

Captain Campbell got an odd look in his eyes, and Caleb realized that even all of these years later, when he looked at his daughter, Captain Campbell did not see a woman. He saw his little girl.

The captain cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on his desk. "What can I do for you, son? I thought that everybody had already gone home."

"Oh, they have, there's just something of a more... personal nature that I need to talk with you about."

Captain Campbell glanced at him suspiciously. "And what might that be?"

"Well," Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. "It's about Catherine."

The man behind the desk nodded as Caleb shifted from one foot to the other. "I assumed as much."

Three impossibly long seconds ticked by on the clock hanging on the wall.

"Are you going to make me guess what you want, Caleb, because I think we both know what it is." Another second passed with silence before Captain Campbell leaned forward, placing his forearms on his desk. "Here's the inconvenient thing about this situation, Caleb. I can't give you permission to marry my daughter if you don't ask for it. So... why don't you give it a try?"

Caleb felt about _that _tall, and he knew for a fact that no fire had ever made him as red as he was at that particular moment. He cleared his throat.

He finally managed to eek out, "Can I... Do I have your blessing upon a marriage with Catherine?"

A grin split the face of Eddie Campbell as he laughed and stood from behind his desk, rounding the piece of furniture to slap Caleb on the shoulder.

Caleb released the huge breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding when the captain informed him,"You do."

Just then the two men heard the sweet voice of a young woman calling out, "Daddy, are you still here?"

Captain Campbell turned from Caleb to glance at the door to his office and called out, "We're in my office, Catherine."

"We?" the pretty brunette questioned, peeking around the corner. Her eyes lit up with pleasure when she saw Caleb. "Well, hello there, stranger."

"Hi."

Catherine clasped her hands together behind her back. "And what were you two handsome, wonderful gentlemen talking about? It wasn't little old me, was it?"

"As a matter of fact, it was." her father informed her. "So you can quit trying to hide that ring that you were given last night on your date with our friend Caleb here."

Catherine's eyes widened. "You gave us your blessing?"

Captain Campbell smiled at his daughter and nodded. "I did."

Catherine screamed with joy and threw her arms around her father.

As the captain held his daughter close and placed a kiss on her scalp, Caleb noted a hint of melancholy sadness in his captain's eyes. And he didn't really blame the man for giving him a hard time, because, after all, he _was_ the one who was stealing - and keeping - Cinderella.

* * *

**This story is inspired by Chuck Wick's "Stealing Cinderella". I needed a break from my "Courageous" story, "I Wish I Might", and this is an idea that has been bugging me for a few weeks, so here it is, the first "Fireproof" songfic! Please R&R! Thanks!:)**


End file.
